The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

My Turn: Look at all the options for HCA rezoning

By Peter Braun

In the interest of enhancing rational discussion about the proposed rezoning options, I am repeating and elaborating on the gist of a comment I posted a couple of days ago in the Lincoln Squirrel in response to Ruth Ann Hendrickson’s article.

This is not just an Option C vs. Option E debate. The Working Group and Select Board have wisely offered us some potential alternatives, which I view as potential compromise solutions. As a lawyer, I was always interested in potential compromises, so I appreciate their having offered some more choices than just Option C or bust.

Options D-1, D-2, and D-3 all offer the same benefit as Option C in terms of rezoning the mall and rezoning some other parcels in South Lincoln. In fact, they could have been labeled C-1, C-2, and C-3. And they all include large amounts of areas that are understood to be highly unlikely to be developed (Lincoln Woods and Ryan Estate). Those unlikely-to-be-developed areas, as well as the unlikely-to-be-developed areas in North Lincoln included in several options, are, to my mind, just benign puzzle pieces to satisfy the state’s 42-acre requirement.

Rather than be distracted by these benign puzzle pieces, I have tried to focus on where the real action is, in South Lincoln. That’s where the public transit is. That’s where our commercial area is. That’s where we have pointed to for many years as the area for some sort of “walkable village.” That’s where the Working Group has appropriately focused.

In trying to sort out which of these four “C-related” options are preferable, the question for me is how much South Lincoln development besides the mall itself are we willing to enable by right, now and forever. I am totally in favor of by-right rezoning for the mall itself, and I trust their judgment. That will entail a large addition of housing and much-needed revamping of the mall’s commercial and public spaces. How much more by-right development in South Lincoln do we want, and how likely is it to occur?

Jennifer Glass’s excellent presentation materials at this week’s Mothers Out Front meeting very well articulated what our choices are in terms of what areas could be developed in reality, depending on what the property owners and potential developers decide to do. As I understand what was presented, in the case of D-3, our choice is the mall plus the properties across the street (essentially between Ridge Road and the Ryan Estates, going several blocks in from the road), with a maximum collective potential of 262 new housing units. For D-1 or D-2, focusing only on their South Lincoln aspects, it’s the mall plus the properties across the street and the properties within the Lincoln Road/Codman Road/Lewis Street/railroad tracks rectangle, with a maximum collective potential of 383 new units. For Option C, it’s the mall plus the properties across the street, the properties within the aforementioned rectangle, and the properties further along Codman Road down to 117, with a maximum collective potential of 480 new units. The tale of the numbers: 480 vs. 383 vs. 262.

There are many factors that would drive whether and how much of these areas other than the mall (which has its own development trajectory) will actually be redeveloped for multi-family housing. Among these factors are assembling (buying) enough contiguous parcels, septic infrastructure, wetlands, and parking (which, in my mind, could realistically necessitate designing for one or possibly two cars per housing unit). As others have mentioned, all of these factors and their cost would be balanced by potential developers against the multiple other opportunities that are sure to arise in other communities as the impact of the HCA takes hold. In the meantime, in the absence of an effective crystal ball, all we have to go on are the maximum developable units articulated by Jennifer.

My personal opinion is that D-3 offers us a big chunk of what many want — redevelop the mall and open the door to nearby by-right multi-family housing (across the street) — and offers what some, like me, may want, which is a chance to see what happens if as many as 262 new housing units and the inevitable car-usage are added to that area, before we enable even more within the aforementioned rectangle and along Codman. Others may have a different risk tolerances and/or may anticipate that the amount of development enabled by Option C or one of the other Ds will be significantly less than the maximums.

Reasonable people can debate the merits of all options. But, again, we do have multiple options. My two cents, in hopes of stimulating rational dialogue.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Correction

In the November 22 article headlined “Panel adds fifth rezoning option after pressure from citizen group,” a quote was misattributed. It was David Cuetos, not Ben Shiller, who said, “We’re trying to avoid actively talking about the spirit of the law, because it has no real meaning when you think about it profoundly.” Cuetos then added, “Every one of us has a different interpretation of what the spirit of the law is.” The story has been updated.

My Turn: In support of Option C

By Ken Hurd

At one of the recent forums hosted by the HCAWG (Housing Choice Act Working Group), one particularly insightful resident posed a poignant question to the proponents of an alternative Option E. She asked, “What is it you stand for?”

Although there was no immediate response, we now know the answer, according to the mailing most residents recently received about a meeting planned by proponents of Option E. You can find it on the back of the flyer under the label “Our Guiding Principles,” and I would like to highlight what I see as some inconsistencies.

Create more affordable housing

Many proponents of an alternative Option E express concern that the HCA limits the percentage of affordable housing to 10%. Because Lincoln normally requires 15% affordable units in any multi-family development, the delta of their concern is 5%. In Lincoln’s case, the HCA requires zoning that will allow 635 units, and 5% of that would be 32 units. As a reminder, the HCAWG responded early on to the residents of the Ridge Court Condominium property, a.k.a. the “flying nun” apartments. Despite the fact that this property is one of the most logical to include in the rezoning, they asked to be excluded in order to preserve the 36 units of relatively affordable apartments that already exist. The HCAWG agreed, and the delta of this exclusion represents more than the 5% about which the alternative proponents are so concerned.

Protect commercial retail in our village center

To anyone who has paid any attention to the state of retail services in Lincoln Station over the last ten years, they might have noticed a decline or turnover in establishments and an increase in vacancies. This is occurring not just at the mall but in the entire Lincoln Station area. As noted in the 2010 Comprehensive Long Range Plan, “the town needs to be receptive to more housing near the train station,” and as was predicted in 2010, “small businesses currently operating around the train station may find it very difficult to survive in the future unless the area includes more housing and, ironically, more businesses.” Absent more housing, existing retail will most likely continue to wither away.

Safeguard Lincoln’s wetlands protection bylaw

As noted multiple times by the HCAWG, all underlying regulations required by the bylaws of Lincoln will continue in effect, and that includes all wetland protections currently in place.  

Focus on locations with existing infrastructure while minimizing the need for greenfield construction

If this means rezoning Battle Road Farm, it would appear that this is no more than a tactic to subvert the intent of the Housing Choice Act since condominium regulations make it nearly impossible to create new housing in that location.

Preserve historically significant properties

A worthy goal, but with the few significant properties that exist in the Lincoln Station area, this could most likely be accommodated by any of the options with a minor adjustment.

Honor the legacy of past generations’s work to create a variety of housing choices and multi-family housing

Most Lincolnites, particularly those who know the town’s history, will agree with this statement. Time and again, previous generations have stepped up to do more than Lincoln’s fair share in preserving open space while also increasing our housing stock to accommodate a variety of needs. In my opinion, it would be a slap in their ancestral faces to shirk our responsibility to the region by raising the drawbridge and rezoning for the least amount of new housing possible while claiming compliance.

Save our key in-town parcels from HCA’s 90% market-rate zoning mandate, allowing funds from Lincoln’s limited Affordable Housing Trust to be more wisely spent for much-needed low- and moderate-income housing units in Lincoln

To me, there is no correlation between saving in-town parcels and using AHT funds for needed housing. This “principle” advocates for nothing more than kicking the can down the road toward inaction. 

Finally, I think we can all agree that the Housing Choice Act is forcing our hand no less than in many of the surrounding communities. I hope that we can rise to meet this challenge as past Lincoln residents have done so many times before. There is no question in my mind that we can be as creative as our forbears and find solutions that will maintain the town’s character that we all cherish. I sincerely believe that this will be best achieved by voting for Option C.  

So please, join me in supporting Option C as the best way to revive the Lincoln Station area as well as to meet our responsibility to the region by creating more actual housing consistent with our town vision statement, namely:

“Fostering economic, racial, ethnic, and age diversity among its citizenry through its educational, housing and other public policy.”

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

What you need to know for Saturday’s Special Town Meeting

The following is based on information provided by town officials.

Saturday’s Special Town Meeting is fast approaching, and we want to make sure you know where to turn for information. Here is a brief guide with links to further information:

Meeting logistics
  • Please visit our Special Town Meeting web page for up-to-date information.
  • Town Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. sharp! Voter check-in begins at 8:30.
  • Also on the web page are links to the warrant and voting instructions.
  • We are accommodating to all! We have reserved parking closest to the entrance for handicap and mobility-impaired residents. We also provide the option for fully interactive participation and socially distanced seating in the Reed Field House.
  • We have provided maps of where to park, where to enter, and a picture showing the Auditorium/Lecture Hall setup.
  • Child care is being provided for kids age 5+ by LEAP (the Lincoln Extended-Day Activity Program) from 8:30 a.m. until the meeting ends. Snacks and a pizza lunch will be provided. Please click here to sign up in advance. Each child must be registered separately. The cost is $40 per child, payable by check when you arrive at LEAP.
Articles 1 & 2 — Community Center
  • The Community Center Building Committee has developed three concepts for consideration. The goal of the meeting is to determine which concept has majority support from those voting at the meeting.
  • That concept will advance to the Schematic Design Phase in preparation for the two (2) votes needed to secure funding:
    • Saturday, March 23, 2024 — Annual Town Meeting: a two-thirds majority vote needed to fund the project, AND
    • Monday, March 25, 2024 — Ballot Vote: A simple majority vote is needed to fund the project.
  • Learn about the concepts on the Community Center Building Committee website.
  • You can view the Finance Committee’s Capital Capacity Presentation here.
Article 3 — The Commons Expansion
  • New England Life Plan Communities, owner of The Commons in Lincoln, is proposing to build an additional 28 units. Background materials can be found here.
  • This vote requires a two-thirds majority for approval.
Article 4 — Housing Choice Act Working Group
  • Residents will consider five Zoning District Options for compliance with the Housing Choice Act (four developed by the Housing Choice Act Working Group and one suggested by a group of residents).
  • The goal of the meeting is to determine which option has at least majority support from those voting at the meeting.
  • That option will go through an initial compliance check by the state Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities in preparation for a vote at the March 23, 2024 Annual Town Meeting. A simple majority vote at that March Town Meeting will be required to approve the new zoning bylaws.
  • Learn more about the options on the Housing Choice Act Working Group web page.

My Turn: Reject Option E if you support fairness in Lincoln

By Jonathan Soo

All Lincoln residents should feel threatened by how Option E supporters changed the rules so that they could force a plan developed in secret by an unaccountable private group onto the December 2 Town Meeting ballot and making what should have been an unofficial survey into a binding vote* for the plan that will be presented at the March 2024 Town Meeting.

In 2022, after the MBTA Communities Act was signed into law, the town created a detailed plan describing how it would develop a zoning bylaw. The town committed to having a town working group create a new zoning bylaw, followed by public hearings leading up to the March 2024 Town Meeting.

The town’s Housing Choice Act Working Group (HCAWG) collectively spent hundreds of hours evaluating and developing a number of options, gathering feedback from affected residents in a series of information sessions, and carefully ensuring that the proposed options meet not only the state’s requirements but also federal Fair Housing Act requirements, Lincoln’s Comprehensive Long Range Plan, and other obligations. 

This fall, a small group of people opposed to additional housing in the town center decided that rather than making their case in March, they would hijack the process by developing their own plan using every loophole available to make sure no new housing could be built there. This plan was developed in secret by a small group of self-selected insiders, with no minutes or records of who participated or even when meetings were held.

On November 14, the Select Board voted to change the rules of the game. It asked HCAWG to rubber-stamp Option E so that it could be added to the ballot without review, and announced that the informal survey at the December 2 Town Meeting would be changed into a binding vote to select the option to be placed on the March ballot, effectively adding a primary vote to the process with two weeks’ notice — with one of those two weeks being the Thanksgiving holiday.

Even if Option E was developed in a legitimate way, changing the December 2 vote from a survey to a binding vote is an incredibly unfair change to the process. It is simply not possible for town residents to digest and evaluate all of the options in just a few days, especially since one of the options has only been publicly known for a single week. Too many residents will be entering the meeting with no real understanding of the implications of voting for each choice, to be swayed by a few minutes of rhetoric before the vote.

On top of this, many residents will be unable to rearrange their schedules at short notice to attend the meeting, assuming they hear about the changes at all. Most residents interested in the process still have a postcard on their refrigerators describing the December 2 meeting as “‘Sense of the Town’ from residents via an informal paper ballot on preferred option – C or D.”

Of course, Option E was not developed in a legitimate way — not in any way that should be acceptable for the town to place on a binding ballot. By placing it on the ballot and stating that it is a viable choice for the March 3 vote, the Selects are saying that the town stands behind it morally, ethically, and legally. No zoning law developed in secret should be allowed on any town ballot.

Every Lincoln resident, no matter which of the town’s options they support (C, D1, D2, or D3), should go to Town Meeting and vote against Option E as long as it has not been rejected. 

* Editor’s note: Although the vote is binding, changes may still be made to bring the measure into compliance with state law if necessary — see the HCAWG website (Q&A #4 under “2023 11 22 FAQs).”

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: How about equity for seniors?

By David Levington

The interminable meetings of the CCBC (Community Center Building Committee) have been disheartening. I had expected discussions of how to design a vibrant new center for the town’s seniors, but instead all I heard was talk about how to save money.

Residents seem preoccupied with the $93 million spent on our new schools and don’t want to add to our tax bills. They seem to forget that we are just continuing a process that began in 2010, when a study group concluded that Bemis Hall and the Hartwell Pods were inefficient. Thirteen years later after several interim reports, they are still questioning the need for something new, and decision time for a community center is here.

The warrant for the December 2 Special Town Meeting asks us to choose between three community center options. The option we choose will be further developed and put forward for final approval at the March 2024 Town Meeting and a ballot-box funding vote. If all that goes through, we should have a new community center in a few years.

But which option?

One of the options is totally unacceptable; its only benefit is that it saves money. It calls for the renovation of one of the old pods, and has LEAP (the after-school program for kids) remain in another unimproved pod.

The other two options each provide for a new community center and a facility for LEAP. The 100% option, expected to cost $24 million, offers a new building on one level with enough space for both LEAP and a gracious community center. The 75% option costs $19 million, leaves LEAP in a renovated pod, and provides “just enough” space for the Council on Aging & Human Services to continue its present programs.

Is that what we want, after a dozen years of planning? A new building (nice of course) but everything crammed into smaller spaces? The financial difference between the two options is about $5 million, which equates to about $150 per year difference in the property tax on an average home (under $100/year on a condo).

Our decision will determine what we will live with and experience for the next 20 years. I urge you to vote for the more generous plan. We seniors have always supported our schools and programs for children. We should do the equitable thing and give our seniors a beautiful new gathering place.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: The tax impact of Option 1 for the community center

By Lynne Smith

On December 2, many of us will go to the Donaldson Auditorium in our new school to vote on the options for a community center. The newsletter sent by the Selects last week estimated the tax impact of three building options.

Here I will focus on Option 1, the 100% option that will cost $24.01 million. For households with a median tax bill of $17,488, this option will increase annual taxes by about $773.* The new school, which cost approximately $93 million, resulted in an annual tax increase of $2,100.**

These are big numbers, especially when you do the math: the bonded debt for the school over 30 years adds up to about $63,000 for each household.

When you do the math for Option 1 for the community center, the bonded debt over 30 years is about $23,190 for each household.

Everyone who attends the meeting can decide on the value of a new community center building for their household. I have not yet decided how I will vote but I am thinking seriously about the decisions our generation of Lincoln residents is making. Brand-new buildings will saddle us with large tax bills for years to come. And our irreplaceable historic buildings require our stewardship for their continued use.

As a recent New York Times article said about Town Meetings, “The most important part of these meetings is always the ensemble of townspeople who stand at the small podium to ask, sometimes beg, that our needs be met, wrongs be prevented or righted.” That’s a lot to ask of a municipal meeting — but let us have the courage to do so.

I look forward to meeting again in the auditorium and seeing my friends, neighbors, committee members and town staff as we gather to participate in democratic governance on December 2!

* If the entire cost were paid through bonding at an interest rate of 4–4.5%.

** See note on page 6 in the FinCom’s “Town Capital Capacity” presentation in September 2023.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

How will you vote on Saturday? Take a Lincoln Squirrel poll

How do you plan to vote on the three issues at the Special Town Meeting on Saturday, Dec. 2? Or if you don’t plan to attend, how would you have voted? If you aren’t a Lincoln Squirrel subscriber, see the item between the red stripes near the top of the right-hand sidebar on this page. The polls will close at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and the results will be reported in a Squirrel post and on LincolnTalk shortly thereafter. There is also a link to the polls on the public right-hand sidebar of the Lincoln Squirrel website for those who aren’t Lincoln Squirrel subscribers — please do not take any of the polls twice. Thanks.

Community center poll

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HCA rezoning poll

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The Commons rezoning poll

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My Turn: In support of Option C and more housing at the mall

By Ruth Ann Hendrickson

I support new and more affordable housing in Lincoln, and I’d like to see most of it in the area of the train station and the Lincoln Mall. I will therefore be supporting option C at the Special Town Meeting on December 2.

1. Option C is the best hope for retaining the retail businesses at the mall. I remember when the roof caved in and Donelan’s was out of business for over a year. We missed them terribly. If we even needed a pint of cream, we had to go out of town.

Retail is struggling all over the country, but I notice that West Concord (population 7,003 per census data: ACS 2021), which developed a large apartment complex near the Nashoba Brook a few years ago, has managed to retain real retail, not just banks and restaurants. I am hoping that with enough new housing in the mall area, we also could have a thriving retail center.

2. History shows that adding new housing enriches the town. Yes, change is always worrisome. When Farrar Pond Village near where I live was proposed, the neighbors were violently against it because of traffic fears. The traffic has not materialized, and Farrar Pond Village has turned out to be a wonderful place for Lincoln people to retire. Recently, because of the cost of housing, it has also attracted families with children, to the extent that they have built a playground.

When the town developed Lincoln Woods, people were aghast — a much denser than Farrar Pond Village, and right there in the middle of town! And yet I know someone who works at Donelan’s who is able to live there, and a friend of mine who has MS is also able to live there to be near her mother. This complex has definitely given living options to Lincoln people who needed it. The proposed new housing would again add housing for our children and those who work here.

3. Our agricultural heritage is safe. Remember, 40% of the Lincoln is permanently in conservation. Forty percent! Those fields will continue to be farmed by local farmers. Codman Community Farms belong to the town and will also remain in perpetuity. The trails we love to walk will always be there. Adding some higher density housing near the train station will not affect that.

4. Do not be fooled by Option E. Some think that, if we chose Option E, we can slow down and develop housing at our own pace under the Town Meeting process. Most of the towns around us, however, will have designated large areas as multifamily by right. What developer in his right mind would risk thousands of dollars to take a proposal to Town Meeting only to see it voted down, when he could easily go to the next town and develop something by right?

The RLF will be unable to replenish their endowment and revitalize the mall in this new housing development environment. Please vote to allow the RLF to develop the mall/housing complex by right. The RLF is a nonprofit whose mission is to assist the town of Lincoln in shaping its land-use destiny. History has show that they can be trusted to work to the town’s benefit.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: A community center for Lincoln

By Dilla Tingley

I hope everyone was able to review the community center options recently published in the Lincoln Squirrel and the Special Town Meeting mailing that went to all households in Lincoln.

The Special Town Meeting on December 2 is an opportunity for us to greatly improve the inadequate facilities occupied by our very special and hard-working COA&HS and PRD [Council on Aging & Human Services, and the Parks and Recreation Department] and the excellent LEAP after school program. All three are extremely valuable resources in our special community. They deserve proper accommodation.

The 100% option provides a space that would comfortably house existing programs for COA&HS, PRD, LEAP and also accommodate activities of a number of other town organizations, with some room for modest growth. It would demolish all existing ancient pods and provide green, new construction with some architectural amenity that would be a lasting legacy for our special town.

The 75% option is a pared-down version with reduced space, just adequate for current programming and little opportunity for use by other organizations. It tears down pods B and C but just renovates pod A for the LEAP program.

The 50% option, which we will present as required by the Town Meeting in November 2022, does not even provide for current programming. It basically gives COA&HS and PRD the space equivalent to two of our current pods and leaves LEAP in an unrenovated pod C which will require further appropriation at a later, less convenient time.

Our wonderful town deserves and will benefit greatly from a handsome new and spacious facility for community gathering. Please come on December 2 and support a needed and meaningful new building for generations to come.

Dilla Tingley represents the COA&HS on the Community Center Building Committee.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.